Starcross
by Kessie-Louise
Summary: A reboot of my old Care Bear fics, no prior knowledge is needed to read this though. A better description and titles will be added later when I can pull more of a plot together. Maybe. Updates will not be consistent. [WIP][OopsyxOC][WtCaL/CB&C bias w/ a cynical Oopsy Bear][Read & Review]
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes, the hardest part about being a Care Bear was having to help children deal with grief. Tenderheart took a good majority of these cases all his lonesome, but he could refer the child to another Care Bear should there be a need. Most of the time, the grief was related to a major move or a pet passing, so the care mission could go on in an almost exact pattern to help the child recover. Very, very rarely did the Care Bears ever tend to a child who had a parent pass.

When the caring alarm went off, and Tenderheart went to see who needed caring help, a horrible pit in his stomach told him that he would be helping a child with grief.

That was the first time he had heard the name Clairinda Bennett. In the next few years, it wouldn't be the only time either.

Clairinda Bennett: currently five years old, born in August and a lover of sunflowers. Then came the part Tenderheart didn't want to read- Clairinda's mother had died three days ago from a car accident. Clairinda had been in the car as well, but she had managed to survive with only a broken arm. The accident had left her perpetually terrified regardless. Tenderheart let out a small whimper in realizing how much of a mess this case could be if he messed something up.

So, completely ignoring protocol, he took a cloud car and went to earth.

. . .

No one could get little Claire to move. The five year old sat on the front porch with an arm in a sling, staring straight ahead at the neighbor houses across the street. The arm in the sling was holding a small stuffed cat while the uninjured arm absently stroked one of the cat's ears.

Beside her was her father, Matthew, who was and was not actually with her. A travel agent by trade, work never stopped for Matthew when technology could dictate one-on-one consulting at all hours of the day.

"Shoot, the computer's battery is about to die..." Matthew mumbled to himself at one point. As he started to get up, he gave Claire a small peck on the head before telling her, "Be right back Clara."

The girl barely moved as her father left. She just barely blinked as a walking teddy bear with a big red heart on its tummy walked over to her.

"Mind if I sit with you until your dad comes back?" the little bear asked Claire with a warm smile. The girl did not seem to acknowledge the bear, but did make small movements of scooting over so it could sit.

"Thank you." the bear smile once more as he came over to sit. Claire tracked it with her eyes as it started to make itself comfortable. From there, the bear didn't say another word, instead looking up at the sky with a sense of wonder and appreciation.

Claire turned her head -just slightly- to get a better look at the bear. He was about her height, his fur was a light brown with eyes that just about matched his fur, and on his white belly was a large red heart. He didn't seem like a stranger to the young girl, despite never meeting him before, and he just looked so... _fluffy_ that she didn't even realize she was leaning against him until catching herself. The bear laughed at her as she jumped away from him and shamefully hid her face.

"I don't mind if you want to lean on me." the bear told her kindly. "I know that something happened to someone you loved recently, and I'm here to comfort you. Take your time."

Suddenly, Claire turned her head to the bear with wide, fearful eyes. Visions of horrible sounds of metal crunching and lights of other cars and sirens terrorizing the child's thoughts.

"M… mo-mommy..." the little girl started to cry. The bear only nodded as he extended his arms to her. Claire looked at them, then the bear, and soon found herself burying her face in the bear's nice, warm fur.

"Shhh… It's alright." the bear softly said into her ear as he stroked the top of her head. "Let it out, it's alright..."

After what seemed like hours, Claire started to get up and wiped her tears away with her uninjured hand.

"There, see? Much better." the bear smiled at her, helping her wipe a wet strand of hair from her face. The two kept eye contact for several moments, allowing Claire to see nothing but tenderness in the bear's eyes. Whoever it was, they really cared about her… for some reason. Noticing her expression change to one of more skeptic origins, the bear felt the need to introduce himself.

"My name is Tenderheart, and I'm a Care Bear." he told her. "I know you might not want to talk right now, but you don't need to tell me your name, I can guess it! Let's see..."

Thinking over whatever her name was, Tenderheart got up and started to pace in front of the porch steps. The little girl watched, tracking him with her eyes and the rest of her body remaining still.

"Now, lemme think..." Tenderheart the said -mostly to himself- as he continued to pace. "Your name is… Marcella?"

The child blinked- Tenderheart tried again.

"Lucinda?"

Another blink.

"Barbella?"

To Tenderheart's amusement, the girl's face scrunched into a look of disgust for a split second.

"How about..." the Care Bear then mused, looked at the girl as he spun on his heel, "Clairinda…?"

In that moment, the girl twitched and gave a motion that could be deciphered as a nod. Tenderheart stopped pacing and went back to the girl.

"Clairinda is your name?" he asked once more with a smile.

In a soft, broken voice, the girl finally spoke; "D-daddy calls me…. calls me Clara."

"Do you like being called Clara?"

"C-Claire."

"You like being called Claire?"

This time, the child gave Tenderheart a firm nod. In return, the Care Bear smiled at her.

"Did you know that Claire means 'bright?'" he then told her. Claire gave shook hear head, holding her stuffed cat tight. Tenderheart was utterly pleased with himself at this point; he had gotten Claire out of her traumatized shell enough to talk and engage with him. Good, now it was time to follow protocol again.

"Hey Claire," the Care Bear then started to suggest, "I live in a place called Care-a-lot. It's high up in the clouds, but it's very pretty to visit. Would you like to come with me to see it?"

For a moment, the idea sounded wonderful but then Claire remembered something. She turned back to her house and let out a small, "Daddy..." to indicate that she needed permission to leave.

"Don't worry," Tenderheart assured her, somehow close enough to place a hand on her shoulder. "We can tell you father where we're going. I won't take you anywhere your father won't allow."

Claire looked back at Tenderheart and seemed to register the idea for a moment. It was only a moment after that she gave the Care Bear her first genuine smile since he met her.


	2. Chapter 2

Although he had convinced her to come to Care-a-lot, there were still a lot of things Tenderheart needed to do to make sure Claire didn't hide away again. Making sure the cloud car looked nothing like a car and not even referring to it as one was part of that agenda. The next part of that agenda was to take the tour of Care-a-lot slowly, taking note of her facial expressions as indicators on whether to move on or ease her nerves. Of course, that meant keeping Claire content enough so she wouldn't bottle her emotions again.

The young girl was making process, albeit slowly, but Tenderheart understood far too well that if she encountered something that reminded her of the accident, it was going to make Claire regress. So far all had gone well and he was hoping it would stay that way.

"Oh look, there's my house!" Tenderheart announced at one point when they passed his home. "Would you like to have a snack or something to drink? We've been walking for awhile."

Claire had opened her mouth to give a reply before someone else shouted, "Look out!" and then consequentially ran into her right after. The two tumbled over each other for a bit before Claire's weight completely pinned down the stranger. Tenderheart quickly helped Claire tried to get up and took a good look at whoever collided into her.

When Tenderheart realized who it was, he let out a rather surprised, "Oopsy?"

The light green Care Bear cub from under Claire blinked from his daze. He looked up at the girl (who was both on and off of him, due to Tenderheart's surprise) and started to flush a dark pink. Without meaning to, the cub had gotten real close to Claire's face before saying, "You're really pretty."

Claire instantly looked away, her face started to blush as well. Tenderheart got Claire off of the cub, made sure that she and her cast was still intact, before turning back to the other Care Bear.

"Oopsy, does Grams know that you're all the way out here?" Tenderheart gently accused. "She's going to worry that you aren't with the others, little cub."

Still sitting on the ground, the little cub bowed his head in shame.

"Tenderheart, I..." Oopsy started to say in defense before taking a look at Claire. The blush on the cub's face flushed even harder as he started to backpedal on his words. He had a reason for leaving Gram's sight (not a good one, but a reason nonetheless), but he wasn't going to say it in front of the pretty girl that didn't know how much of a weirdo he was.

Tenderheart, who saw that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Oopsy with Claire present, let out a small sigh.

"Would you like to join us for a snack then?" the older Care Bear asked the youngest. "I'll let Grams know where you are while you and Claire eat. Sound fair?"

Oopsy would have agreed, but he was quickly distracted by a detail mentioned by Tenderheart. He immediately turned to the little girl and asked, "Your name is Claire?"

The girl looked at him and gave a small nod. Instantly, a wide smile stretch on the cub's face.

"Your name is just as pretty as you are!" the cub gushed. "My name's Oopsy! Just so, you know, you wanted to say it or something… I-if you can say it! I… I didn't mean to assume…!"

Claire bashfully averted her gaze from him for a moment. In a small, still voice, Claire said "Oopsy..." that instantly earned the cub's attention. For a moment his heart accelerated at the sound of her voice. It was so calm, and sweet, and…

"Hey," Oopsy then said when he noticed Claire's arm was in a sling, "Did you have an oopsy? What happened to your arm Claire?"

"Oopsy, I don't think..." Tenderheart started to correct before realizing that Claire had gone deathly pale. "Claire? Claire are you alright?"

Without meaning to, the cub had reminded the girl of sounds and images she never wanted to see again. Crunching metal, sirens in the distance, Mommy's neck hanging in the Bad Angle…

"Claire?" Tenderheart tried again, lightly touching the girl on the shoulder. The action had made her jump, and in a moment of instinct, Claire ran in the opposite direction.

"Claire!" Tenderheart called out as he started to go after her, but Oopsy held him back.

"Tenderheart… did I… did I make an oopsy?" the little cub asked in a tiny voice. Without meaning to, the older bear gave a sigh of exasperation. Claire was running through Care-a-lot in a panicked state without knowing where she was going, and here Oopsy was regretting his accidental faux-pas.

"We have to find Claire." Tenderheart told the cub, somewhat ignoring his question. "For now, just… just remember that she's really, really sad. Okay? I'll explain her situation later- when you're older."

"Can I help find her?" the cub then asked, holding the older bear's paw tightly.

"Of course." Tenderheart agreed with a small smile. "But we have to hurry, Claire could be anywhere by now."

Determined now, Oopsy gave a firm nod and the two quickly went to follow Claire.

. . .

It was nice here, by the brook.

She couldn't remember if she had taken off her shoes or if they had fallen off when she was running. She could have just glanced behind her to realize that they sat next to her, but at the moment she didn't feel like moving at all. The bottoms of her feet were just barely grazing the top of the water. It felt nice.

"Claire!" an eager voice from behind her shouted. "I found you!"

Claire didn't move, still dipping her feet at the top of the water.

"Claire?" the voice said again, this time getting close to her face. Claire gave a small glance to see it was Oopsy. He looked concerned, she looked stoic.

"Claire…?" Oopsy then said as he plopped next to her, his voice going down to a regretful whisper. "I'm sorry..."

The girl did not answer, making the cub feel even worse. He looked at her for some sign of emotion- any indication that he could be forgiven, this one time. She wasn't even looking at him. Letting out a sad sigh, Oopsy gave up. Still sitting next to her, Oopsy moved himself around so he could sit very identical to how she was siting. He kept his hands in his lap while gently kicking the water top with the bottom of his foot.

He didn't realize it at first, but Claire had slipped her hand into his and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

When Tenderheart had caught up with them, both Claire and Oopsy were laying on their back, staring at the sky with their feet dipped in the brook. The Care Bear took a step back, hiding behind a tree just within earshot of the two.

"Claire…?" Oopsy started to say, "I have a secret. Promise to keep it from Tenderheart or Grams?"

A small sound indicated that a nod had been the cub's answer.

"I… I ran away. I ran away because all the others bears don't like me. I.. I'm too different..."

Claire turned her head to look Oopsy in the eye. "No..." she informed him with a tone that detailed faint skepticism. It was the first sense of emotion Tenderheart had heard in the girl since he'd known her.

"I _am_ different Claire." Oopsy went on, coming close to tears. "All the other Care Bears have their tummy symbols already and I don't. Even worse, I have… oopsies. My oopsies make everyone mad- even Grams. I _can't help_ it and it makes me more mad than everyone else. I don't wanna be an oopsy, but I am anyway. I don't like it Claire, I don't!"

"You're not." Claire's little voice insisted. That made Oopsy spring up to look her in the eye.

"Then what am I?!" the cub thundered, not meaning to have gotten so loud. Claire only blinked before she started to get up- a bit difficult with her arm in the sling, but not impossible. The girl then looked the young Care Bear in the eye before saying, in a sure tone,

"My friend."

Hearing those words instantly made Oopsy diffuse his bitterness. His mind and heart were racing at the speed of sound in realizing that she was serious. This was when Tenderheart decided it was time for him to come out.

"There you two are!" he declared as if he hadn't been listening to them. Shortly after, both Claire and Oopsy jumped in surprise- they looked away from each other with blushing faces as if they had been doing something else.

"Are you still hungry for some snacks?" the older Care Bear happily suggested. Without looking at each other, the young duo nodded.

. . .

"Hey Claire! Look at this!"

Completely attempting to show off to his new friend, Oopsy threw three pieces of peanuts into the air. The first one bounced off his cheek and into Claire's glass of milk, the second one bounced off his nose and behind his head, and the last one actually made it into his mouth.

"Ta-da!" the cub announced happily as he chewed on the one peanut that made it into his mouth. He was quick to notice that Claire was giving her milk a wary side glance due to the peanut. Oopsy then sheepishly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Heh… oopsy… Please don't be mad at me Claire. It was an accident, honest!"

Carefully, Claire picked out the peanut from her milk and prepared to flick it back at Oopsy. Hit with an idea, the cub opened his mouth and pointed to it.

"Ge' i' in!" he encouraged. With a shrug, Claire took a bit more aim before flicking the peanut directly into Oopsy's mouth.

"Score!" the cub cheered, throwing his arms up in the air. He had moved too quickly and threw his balance behind him, effectively making him fall backwards out of the chair. Claire reacted almost immediately, jumping out of her chair to Oopsy's side.

"Oopsy..." the cub chuckled before realizing that Claire was beside him, looking awfully concerned. To ease her concern, Oopsy then bashfully informed her, "I'm fine Claire. Really! This stuff happens to me all the time and I never get hurt! Well… not badly, anyway."

Still not sure at his insistence, Claire helped Oopsy up regardless.

"Claire," Oopsy started to say, maybe the tiniest bit distracted by her concerned look, "Can we be friends… forever? Usually when I make an oopsy, every either tries to ignore me or gets really, really mad. But you cared enough to make sure I was alright. Can you… can you always do that? And always be with me when I make an oopsy? Please?"

Claire looked at him for a moment, thinking the idea through. As she started to open her mouth to reply, Tenderheart came back into the room with an announcement.

"Well Oopsy, I've told Grams where you are and she said that someone from the care nursery will come to pick you up shortly." Tenderheart gave the two a gentle smile. "And once you're safe going home, Claire will go back home too."

"Claire can't go!" Oopsy suddenly shouted. "She… she's my only friend..."

Tenderheart gave a frown at the cub's change of behavior. "Oopsy, I'm that isn't true."

"It is!" the cub affirmed as he stomped his foot on the ground. "No one likes me! I'm just one big... _oopsy_ to everyone and they hate me for it! They hate me for being me! They do!"

It took Tenderheart a moment to process it, but he finally realized that he had accidentally stumbled upon two caring crises. One was with a Care Bear too, of all things. Then Tenderheart had an idea.

"How about you two follow me?" he suggested. "I think I have something that could benefit both of you."

The younger two gave each other a confused glance before giving a shrug and following the older Care Bear. He led them to the top of the lighthouse and got a box off a shelf near the back. Claire and Oopsy watched as Tenderheart pulled two star shaped charms out of the box, and presented them to the duo.

"These amulets were created to test a new system of bring kids to Care-a-lot that need caring help," he went on the explain, "But something about them makes them even more special."

"What's that Tenderheart?" Oopsy questioned as he and Claire took the charms.

"Unlike the other Care and Share amulets, these two are connected to each other, and only each other. They aren't of much use to us now, so I want you two to have them. And yes Oopsy, they are oopsy-proof."

"So this means….?"

"That when one of you wants to visit the other, all you have to do is wish on the charm and you'll be taken to them instantly."

Hearing this, Oopsy looked at Claire.

"You hear that Claire? This means we can be friends forever!"

Claire looked up at Oopsy. It took her a moment, but she started to smile.

"I like that." she agreed.

Tenderheart looked over the two with a smile of his own before the doorbell downstairs announced the arrival of someone new. Motioning for the younger duo to follow him, Tenderheart went back downstairs to answer the door.

"Noble Heart!" Tenderheart declared in surprise at seeing the visitor. "This truly is a surprise!"

"Nothing of the sort." the purple horse on the other side humored. "True Heart and I were planning to take Oopsy in ourselves, but we didn't mean to do it this soon."

The Care Bear Cousin then looked around Tenderheart to look Oopsy in the eye, and gave a smart little wink. The cub quickly looked away and shrunk a little in an apparent shame. Noble Heart let out a laugh as Tenderheart let the Cousin in his home. That was when Noble Heart noticed Claire.

"My, what a sweet little girl you are!" Noble Heart gushed, getting down to Claire's height. After noticing Claire's sling, he started to say, "Say, do you mind telling how you-" (the horse happened to look up at Tenderheart at this point, who was silently sending signals for a subject change) "Got such adorable freckles! They're just as unique as the sky's own stars- it's a very good look, I recommend you keep them."

Claire blushed, looking away from the Cousin in embarrassment. Letting out a chuckle, Noble Heart got back up again.

"Well, I promised True Heart that I'd be back as soon as I could." Noble Heart then told everyone. "So let's go Oopsy."

"Can I say goodbye to Claire first?" the cub quickly asked.

"Of course." both Noble Heart and Tenderheart agreed at the same time. Beaming, Oopsy didn't waste a second more to give Claire a tight hug in goodbye. The girl openly embraced it, and there the two stood as if that hug would be their last.


	4. Chapter 4

**10 years later**

. . .

sunflwrs4ma: Sariiiiii

sunflwrs4ma: I don't understaaaaaand

sunflwrs4ma: our apartment was so tiny

sunflwrs4ma: why is there so much stuff?!

urHighnessSari: dunno. never had to move b4

sunflwrs4ma: Good for you.

sunflwrs4ma: at this rate we'll move again when i'm 20

urHighnessSari: or you'd be moving out

sunflwrs4ma: exactly!

[ _OllieOops07 has signed in at 6:49 PM_ ]

sunflwrs4ma: I liked being in the apartments, don't get me wrong, but it'll be good with Aunt Amee too.

OllieOops07: Wait?! You're moving?! When were u going to tell me?!

urHighnessSari: where have u been the last few days?

urHighnessSari: its all CB rants about now

urHighnessSari: and its only Tuesday!

urHighnessSari: besides, you don't even live near us. Why would you care if she moves?

sunflwrs4ma: don't be rude Sari. Geez, who got into your cereal this morning?

sunflwrs4ma: also oliver, we're just moving a neighborhood over. Nothing special. Since I'm in a private school, my classes aren't going to change. Same old classmates telling me that gingers have no soul and all that.

OllieOops07: You have one of the sweetest souls ever CB.

urHighnessSari: remind me to beat up Axl for you later, I heard him talking trash last Friday.

urHighnessSari: freaking hypocrite

. . .

"Oopsy, why are you still up?"

The Care Bear jumped a good foot in the air at hearing True Heart's voice. He looked up at her with a look of accusation and shame. It didn't stop True Heart from moving closer to see what Oopsy was doing on his care-tablet.

"Talking to her again?" True Heart calmly inquired, tilting her head with curiosity.

"Yes..." the younger Care Bear agreed as he hung his head. "It's the only way we can talk now. She doesn't even know it's me..."

"Oopsy..." True Heart sighed, despite putting a reassuring hand on his back. Whatever the older bear was going to say, it went unsaid in favor of, "Finish up your conversations for the night. Noble Heart wants to take you somewhere special tomorrow morning."

' _Probably doing something he thinks will help me finally earn my Belly Badge, I bet. As if it will work. Never does._ ' Oopsy darkly thought. But to True Heart he said, "Thanks True."

The older Care Bear gave him a worn smile and a quick, motherly peck on his head before leaving. Oopsy let out a sigh as he looked back down at his friends' conversation. Now they were talking about her birthday- which was going to take place sometime after they had moved in with her aunt. He still didn't know what he was going to get her. But he just couldn't believe it; Claire was going to be 16 this year.

Oopsy was sure that at this point, everything about her had changed. For him, the only thing average about his stature was his height- everything else only reminded him of how different he was. In silhouette, Oopsy was smaller that the other Care Bears and Cousins. He had never earned his belly badge either- a trademark postdated by the time they got out of diapers, if not earlier. Oopsy's clumsy nature hadn't ceased in the past few years either (although Noble Heart and True Heart had helped him understand and work with this fault) and they didn't seem to let up at all.

Then he would wonder if Claire had changed since he last saw her. Did she still have her freckles? Was her hair even redder now, or had it lightened up? Did she smile? Did she laugh? Oh please, all forces of Care-a-lot, please let Claire smile and laugh on a daily basis now. Oopsy would have loved to see her, but a few weeks after Tenderheart had given the two the charms, Claire lost hers. It wasn't intentional, Oopsy was sure of that much. The Bennetts had moved to a small apartment, and Claire's charm had been lost during the move. Due to the nature of their charms, Oopsy knew exactly where Claire's charm was, but did nothing to move it or give it to her. A part of him said that it was because she had to find it, the other part of him dictated that he was just anxious about seeing her again.

Either way, he was scared.

Oopsy took another look at the chat. Sari had apparently left the conversation, but Claire was still online. Good. He liked chatting with her alone.

. . .

OllieOops07: hey, i've gtg. Let me know if you find anything interesting during the move?

sunflwrs4ma: sure? I dunno what we'd find, but if anything weird comes up i'll let you know.

OllieOops07: if it helps: little loose things like rings and necklaces and keychains and charms and such.

sunflwrs4ma: oh yeah. I can totes help with that! I'll even send pics through Pickr.

OllieOops07: thnx CB.

[ _OllieOops07 has signed out at 7:16 PM_ ]

. . .

Claire reclined a little at seeing her online friend leave the chat. What a weird request, but he had always been like that. At this point, Claire figured that if he was a stalker, he would have hunted her down and kidnapped her by now.

The teen turned to her father and stifled out a short laugh. All of their stuff had been packed into boxes or at the new house already, but they still had the apartment for a few more days, so the two of them were actively sitting on the floor in what used to be the living room. Her father was hunched over his laptop computer in the center of the room, an old comforter was thrown over his shoulders as he continued his work with a small scowl. Apparently, he had heard her because he looked up soon after.

"What's so funny wallflower?" he asked, his scowl going away with a slightly softer expression.

"You look like a freaking turtle hunched over like that." Claire told him, not skipping a beat. "I'm not helping you when you're fifty and need a back brace because of your awful posture."

"Speak for yourself!" her father playfully huffed right back. "You've been sitting in that corner all evening, typing on that tablet at the speed of light. Don't come crying to me when you get early arthritis."

"Sure Pops." Claire humored with a small roll of her eyes. "Whatever you say."

"Wait until Amelia hears your sass," her father chuckled, "She'll harass me for raising a mini Rashel."

After saying this, Matthew paused. As if speaking a thought, he softly said, "Claire… you _do_ know Aunt Amee was your mother's twin?"

It took a moment, but a soft "Yeah." answered him.

"I just want you to know, Aunt Amee has wanted to see you after your mother's funeral, but you were just so traumatized by everything..." her father then said, almost rambling. "She's changed her appearance quite a bit so you won't be distressed seeing her now. But… if you do… we can always move somewhere else. Or.. or she could."

"I'm shoving Aunt Amee out of her own house." Claire objected. "And I'm sure as heck not packing all our junk back up ever, ever again!"

That earned a chuckle out of her father. Good. The mood had gotten too serious for her taste.

"Daddy," Claire then told her father, "I don't even remember Mom anymore. Even if Aunt Amee really is Mom's twin, I don't think it would faze me anymore. It's not like she's actually Mom, you know? I'll be fine. Honest."

Matthew didn't look very sure at this, and he even started to get up to walk over to Claire. He placed a hand under her chin and kissed her forehead. When he pulled away, he mumbled something in a sad, lonely voice;

"You really are your mother's child..."


	5. Chapter 5

**_So before we start, I want to say that this chapter wouldn't be finished had it not been for a dream I had- the cliffnotes are as followed: Claire and other Care Bears worked at some sort of facility/camp- Claire in particular was trying to do schoolwork; There were frequent communications between Care Bears via TV screens; Oopsy usually called in with others, but when he saw Claire through the monitors, he would get all embarrassed and happy and wave to her. This annoyed tf out of Share (and she was always annoyed with him, for various reasons); The Care Bears had the ability to switch between teddy bear mode (like the toys) and anthro mode (like they are in the cartoons); Share was so mad at Oopsy that she blocked him from using the communications systems, Claire was confused by this but didn't mind otherwise._**

 ** _Obviously, I don't sleep very well, but it made me revisit the story, so I guess it accounts for something! xD_**

 ** _Also, since the last time we met, I found out that the Care Bear wiki states that Oopsy's Hebrew name translates out to Glitch Bear? Now I can't stop thinking that Oopsy is literally a glitch in the Care Bear's matrix which could easily explain his lack of Belly Badge, and I don't know what to do with this information. xDD_**

 ** _Anywho, on with the story. No I don't know when I'll update it again. I do enjoy this series, for the most part, but I have other fics to work on and they're a bit higher in priority. Sorry if you want something more consistent. *shrugs*  
_**

* * *

At first, Claire thought that she was intimated by the size of her aunt's house. But then she looked over to her aunt, who was sorting through boxes laid on the porch, and an awful pit fell in Claire's stomach. For the past 10 years, she could barely remember her mother outside of nightmares at the Bad Angle (a term she dubbed from the unnatural angle of her mother's snapped neck), but seeing her aunt from a distance made Claire realize that she was still horrified by the incident. It was not something she wanted to know at the moment.

"Claire?" her father's voice suddenly spoke up, making her jump.

"I'm fine!" the girl quickly denied as she started to get out of the car.

"That in no way answers my question." Matthew then told his daughter with a small smile. This netted a confused glance from Claire. Choosing to make the situation a funny one, Matthew flat out laughed at his daughter. "I asked if you wanted to get Ronald's tonight or Chik'n Fillers."

"Chik'n Fillers." Claire quickly decided as she attempted to get out of the car again, but was once more stopped by her father.

"Claire, remember what I said last night." he said to her. He was so calm and subdued, it nearly scared her. "If all of this gets too overwhelming, let me know. We can go somewhere else."

The girl looked back at her father and suddenly realized the line of worry on his forehead.

"I can do this." Claire asserted. She paused a moment before adding, "And so can you."

For a moment, Matthew just looked back at his daughter before a small smile appeared on his face.

"When'd you get so wise?" he teased as he started to get out of the car now. Claire's answer was a small chuckle. With it settled, the two got out of the car and walked together to greet Claire's estranged aunt.

Amelia hadn't noticed the two until they were coming up the porch steps, even then, she looked surprised that they had come at all.

"Hello!" Amelia greeted them in a kind, melodious voice. "I thought you said you two lived in a small apartment, why is there so much junk here?!"

Matthew afforded a laugh as he went up the porch steps. "That would be me." he admitted with a sheepish grin. "Claire's been on my case about it since she packed up most of it."

"Now why on earth is my favorite niece packing _your_ stuff?" Amelia then accused, her smile unwavering. "You're not that old."

This made Matthew laugh with an even more sheepish chuckle. He wasn't able to answer as Claire came up the porch steps behind him, drawing her the attention of Amelia. At seeing her niece for the first time in 10 years, the older woman's eyes nearly welled up.

"Oh Claire, you're so pretty!" Amelia marveled. "Is the red in your hair natural? You were so young when I last saw you, I can't remember."

"Sort of." the awkward teen agreed with a nervous nod of her head; flattery always make her extra embarrassed for some reason. "I've been trying to add some highlights, going more for a darker auburn."

"Well you're doing a great job." Amelia sincerely told her. "Just don't look like your father too much."

That gave Claire the reason to laugh, Amelia joining in not long after. Matthew, however, was not happy about this harassment, but soon found it in himself to laugh along as well.

. . .

"I like this place already." Sari decided as she and Claire sat on the porch, their feet dangling over the side. "Nice breeze coming off the veranda, enough shade so you don't burn your skin off, and you'll even have room for a pool this summer!"

Claire gave her friend an absent little mumble but said nothing else. Sari had been Claire's friend since third grade, and Claire had always found her far prettier; Sari was part Indian and African so her skin was the perfect shade of tan no matter what and her hair braided with multicolored beads that only made the 16 year old look 12. Where Claire wanted to look older, Sari aimed to look younger. 'It'll confuse someone,' the headstrong teen insisted, 'So when I'm older and go to a bar, I'll show the bouncer my ID with this wide grin on my face and he'd be so bewildered that I can laugh at him on the way in.'

"Yo, Clairinda Roswell Bennett, are you hearing me in that world of yours?"

"Uhwhat?" Claire mumbled as she came out of her thoughts. "I don't have a middle name."

"Then answer me, you airhead!" Sari demanded, giving her friend a light tap against the head. "I'm trying to snoop on your new life and you're not playing along!"

"But Sari, I'm tired." Claire playfully whined, leaning on her friend's shoulder. Sari returned the gesture by laying her head against her friend's. "You don't understand sunshine princess, moving is so exhausting. You have to pack everything away, finding stuff you thought you lost ages ago, and then you got to unpack all of it in some place where you don't think about it ever again."

"Find anything interesting for Ollie?" Sari asked, changing the subject somewhat.

"I don't remember being addicted to stick on earrings." Claire agreed with a laugh.

"What do you mean ' _don't remember_ '?!" Sari all but roared, making Claire laugh harder. "You got those things stuck in my hair and it took _weeks_ to brush it out!"

With Claire's insistent laughter, Sari's angered facade melted away and she too started to laugh long and hard.

. . .

sunflwrs4ma: so, how were u today?

OllieOops07: my adoptive father tried to kill me

sunflwrs4ma: with what now? Lol

OllieOops07: spikes. Very. Pointy. Spikes.

OllieOops07: I thought I was being trained for the army

OllieOops07: it was awful

OllieOops07: I know have a bandaid over my butt

OllieOops07: it's not fun

OllieOops07: my big sib is already on my case about it. I hate it.

sunflwrs4ma: monkey boy?

OllieOops07: no. Treats.

sunflwrs4ma: ah.

sunflwrs4ma: my day was boring, just a lotta boxes. Nothing fun to report.

sunflwrs4ma: I'm so tired tho

sunflwrs4ma: if I have to look at one of dad's bowling shirts again, I'm gonna scream ollie.

OllieOops07: maybe tomorrow will be better?

sunflwrs4ma: maybe...

sunflwrs4ma: Good night Oliver.

OllieOops07: Good night CB.

[ _sunflwrs4ma has signed out at 10:31 PM_ ]

[ _OllieOops07 has signed out at 10:31 PM_ ]


	6. Chapter 6

Oopsy always had a light on near his bed before he went to sleep. It wasn't because he was afraid of the dark or anything (Cloud-keeper forbid Playful Heart Monkey would have something to say about _that_ ) but it was something for him to absently look at and clear his thoughts before drifting into a dreamless slumber. Tonight, as he started to drift in and out of consciousness, his door started to creep open slightly.

"Hey you," the soft voice of True Heart said before she came closer. "Are you still awake?"

The lime green bear turned himself a little to look at the pastel-colored bear. "No." he lied, as if it would stop her. When the older bear was close enough, she ran a paw through the tuft of hair on his head.

"I remember when you were so tiny." True Heart wistfully told him. "You'd ask me to sing silly little bedtime ditties before bed. Remember Solomon Grundy? Born on Monday, christened on Tuesday, married on Wednesday..."

"Yeah, I remember." Oopsy said, interrupting her. "But I'm tired, I'm not in the mood for that anymore."

"Oh, come on you silly bear," True playfully teased, "I'm old; let me hold on to my sweet nostalgic memories of my favorite Care Bear."

Oopsy wasn't buying it for a second. "True Heart, I'm not a cub- you don't have to come wish me sweet dreams or anything anymore."

The older, pastel colored Care Bear gave a small chuckle.

"When you're my age, you'll find that good habits are incredibly hard to break." she insisted with a gentle smile. Oopsy still wasn't buying it.

"You treat me like a baby who doesn't know his left hand from the right." he went on to complain.

"Sometimes, you're so clumsy I wonder if you do." True Heart joked without skipping a beat.

Oopsy, on the other hand, did not find this humorous in the slightest and gave his caretaker a growl before flipping over to the other side of his bed and tossing the covers over his head. This display only seemed to amuse True Heart further.

"Goodness Oopsy, I didn't mean it personally. It was just a joke you silly fluff ball."

"My whole life is a joke." the younger Care Bear grumbled. "Trying to get along with everyone else is a joke. My Belly Badge is a joke. Any friendship I could have had with Claire is a joke..."

Hearing this, True Heart frowned. "Oopsy..."

"I know, I know..." came the even darker answer, "Care Bears aren't supposed to hold on to humans emotionally because the humans have to grow from their experiences by themselves and yada yada yada."

Oopsy snuggled the blankets closer to his body in bitterness before quietly adding, "Just wish Claire wasn't one of them..."

"Oopsy..." True Heart to sigh, but stopped herself. Instead she said, "Get a good night's rest. Tomorrow we're taking a trip to Care-a-lot to visit Tenderheart and his niece. I don't think I need to remind you on why."

The nasty little snort she got in reply gave her the answer she needed, and with a sigh True Heart left Oopsy's room (making sure to close the door behind her) and went to the room she and Noble Heart shared. It was a cozy little room; she and Noble Heart slept in separate beds, a little bedstand table in between the two of them with a lamp on top. Seeing Noble Heart already in his bed and reading a rather thick book on the history of Care-a-lot, his reading glasses on and just slightly reflecting the light of the lamp, made True Heart smile. But her joy in seeing her partner turned into a frown as she remembered Oopsy.

Noble Heart seemed to notice that True Heart was in the room and put down his book. "How was he?" the Cousin asked with a curious raise of his eyebrow. For this, True Heart found she didn't have an answer. Instead she walked over to her bed and sat down.

"Are we doing something wrong?" True Heart finally asked, looking at her partner with eyes that expressed a certain amount of hopelessness.

Noble Heart frowned at her, putting away his book in the process. "No." he then firmly told her. "We knew that taking Oopsy in would be a lifetime care mission. He just needs more time."

"Noble Heart… what if he never gets his Belly Badge?"

"I… I don't know." Nobe Heart admitted. "I never thought it was possible for us _not_ to have one."

"I know. I know..." True Heart agreed. After a considerable pause, she quietly added, "And then there's Claire."

Noble Heart's spine stiffened. "Yes… that." With a sigh he then added, "He shouldn't be so attached to her, not anymore, not when they haven't seen each other in years..."

"It's not _impossible_ , is it?" True Heart wondered. "I mean, Grams..."

Noble Heart cast True a rather dark glare that made the Care Bear leave her sentence up in the air. They both knew what she was going to say, and they both didn't want to face the possibility of _that_ fiasco again.

To break the silence, True Heart mentioned, "Proud and Treat are not making it easy for him." to which Noble Heart recoiled a little in some degree of frustration. He gave a nod though, knowing what she was getting at.

"Well, Proud Heart is just that, but needs to remember that pride doesn't just come from self; Treat Heart on the other hand..."

"We're lucky he and Gentle Heart get along well. But even she has her limits, unfortunately."

"Unfortunately." Noble Heart agreed, now finding it the time to relax again on his bed. True Heart unconsciously did the same. As the two were almost comfortable enough to go to sleep, Noble Heart mumbled.

"He's come a long way."

"He has," True sighed. "And I wish he could see it."

The Cousin gave a sigh of his own in return before shutting off the light.

Sleep did not come as easy to Oopsy, however: his mind was racing too quickly to even quiet the harmless of thoughts. He knew his caretakers were talking about him. He knew he disappointed them because he wasn't like the other Care Bears. He knew he was a disappointment. Period.

 _Maybe I could run away again_ , Oopsy thought to himself, _but they'll find me again and make me come back like a pig to… No wait, Treat Heart doesn't like that saying._

Letting out a depressive sigh, he looked over at his lamp and tried to clear his mind. But running away just seemed like such a good idea; that was how he first met Claire, after all, maybe he'd find her and they'd be friends again. Even if the Care Bear Family found him again, at least he'd have Claire. A small part of him liked that, enough so that his thoughts were put to rest and soon after, he too was asleep.

. . .

"How is she doing?" Amelia asked Matthew after Claire had gone to bed.

"She's… adjusting." he admitted. "I just wish that she… that she didn't have to go through so much. Witnessing Rashel's death, this whole moving debacle. I worry about her Amelia."

"She has us." the woman insisted. "And she has Sari. Claire has a good support system on her side- what else could you want for her? The Care Bears to be her godparents?"

Okay, so he had to snort at that. Matthew had never had a personal experience with the guardians of caring, just barely remembering when one had come to talk to Claire after her mother's death, so he personally saw them as nothing more than a myth at best.

"Do you know what you're going to do for her birthday?" his late wife's twin then wondered with a tilt of her head. Suddenly Matthew's attitude change as he shook his head.

"No. I've been keeping busy, and I didn't have time to plan anything."

"Then let me."

"Amelia..."

"Now listen here Matthew, I haven't seen Claire in years for reasons both in and out of our control. Let me make that up to her. No big parties or anything, just a little alone time with her."

For a moment, the man just looked at the woman before he almost started to tear up.

"Rashel might have left us ten years ago, but I'm surrounded by her ghost no matter what I do." he mused, albeit sadly. "Isn't it awful?"

"Not at all." Amelia decided. "You're only human, and if I knew anything about my sister, it's that her impression lasts. True love never dies Matthew, remember that."

"Thanks Amelia." Matthew smiled. "Have you ever considered going into psychotherapy?"

For this, Amelia laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

Claire always had a certain penchant for having her birthday in the summer. She didn't have to worry about going to school with 30-some cupcakes to share, she wouldn't have to hear everyone wish her a good day, her father didn't have to invite everyone in class to a party that didn't do much in way of games or activities: in sort, Claire just didn't like the attention. For her birthday, she was always just content on being with her father. Due to current circumstances, it seemed that she wasn't going to spend the day with her father and instead with her aunt. Claire didn't mind, but it was another change to an already overwhelming wave of conflict.

"I have a full day planned ahead of us!" Amelia happily declared as the two got into her car. "First the cafe, then the mall for some new clothes and things, and then we'll come back for two very special presents I've been saving to give you for awhile!"

"Sounds great Aunt Amee." Claire replied, not putting much emotion into it. They haven't even started the day yet and she was already drained. Amelia must have picked up on this as she then went silent. The only thing that filled the empty silence was the radio playing as the two drove to the cafe. Today was going to be a long day, Claire could feel it in her bones.

. . .

Today was going to be a long day, Oopsy could feel it in his bones. He dreaded every moment as the time to visit Tenderheart came closer. He personally never had reason to visit the main portion of Care-a-lot on a normal day -no one in their little corner of the world did- but when there came time to, it meant that he had to prove he wasn't a screw up like everyone knew he was. It was impossible, he didn't even know why anyone tried anymore.

"Tenderheart!" Noble Heart cheerfully greeted as he, Oopsy, and True Heart met up with said brown colored Care Bear.

"Noble Heart!" Tenderheart happily declared, hugging the horse with a friendly love. "It's been ages since I've seen you!"

"Heh, you wish." the purple horse humored. When the two pulled away, Noble Heart motioned to True Heart and Oopsy as he said, "I'm sure you remember True and Oopsy, at least?"

"Of course I do." Tenderheart smiled. "True, you are looking as beautiful as always."

"Oh stop." True Heart snorted. "Save the flattery for Me Bear."

Tenderheart let out a friendly chuckle before he turned to Oopsy. He gave the younger bear a kind smile before saying, "And how could I forget Oopsy? My, surely you've grown since the last time we met? We may have to rename you Break a Heart Bear if you get any more handsome- you are looking at other Care Bears your age, aren't you?"

The disgusted groan of the young Care Bear along with an even more disgusted sneer was the answer Tenderheart received. Much to Oopsy's annoyance, the older Care Bear laughed at this too.

"So what brings you three here today?" Tenderheart finally decided to ask, clapping his hands together with enthusiasm.

"I'm going to be harassed by my peers, that's what brings us here." Oopsy muttered.

"What he _means_ ," Noble Heart corrected, giving him a dark side glare before turning back to Tenderheart, "We were hoping if the other Care Bears were able to spend the day with him. If at all possible, we would like to see him work on a caring mission- if any are available, of course."

"I see." Tenderheart agreed, letting out a thoughtful hum. "I think I overheard that Grumpy needed some help. Wonderheart may also find something interesting for Oopsy to do..."

"Where is Wonderheart?" Noble Heart asked. "She isn't old enough to have a house of her own yet, is she?"

"Oh, no!" Tenderheart replied, a part of his voice appalled but masked with amusement. "She finally found her Belly Badge power, and is helping with the Share Cloud."

"You mean Brave Heart and the others came back?"

"Why yes, you didn't know?"

"No." Noble Heart replied, standing a bit straighter. True Heart copied the gesture with a certain degree of scorn, and Oopsy had a good inkling on why- news that the other cousins had returned should have been known by everyone, and since it hadn't, the older bears had their collars more than a little ruffled. But even if Tenderheart didn't tell the others that Brave Heart and his crew had returned, shouldn't the lion had come to visit them himself?

Tenderheart seemed to feel this discomfort, giving a small cough before saying, "Regardless, they should be back soon. Perhaps they could have something Oopsy could do."

"I'm sure." Noble Heart darkly agreed while folding his arms. Oopsy let out a small sigh of his own, hiding his face in his hands. Why him? Why did it have to be him?

. . .

"Whew, what a long day." Amelia sighed as she and Claire carelessly tossed their shopping bags to the side when they came through the door. "I think we did pretty good though. A BOGO sale at Marcy's and even a pay your age event at Build a Plush! What are you doing to name your new friend anyway, Claire?"

"Doofus." the teen replied without much thought. She then looked over at her aunt and gave a smile, showing that she was joking. But Amelia had already reacted.

"Urg, not that!" she detested, some humor laced in her voice despite the annoyed look. "It's got to be a name with meaning. Not something you would name a dog."

Claire laughed. Finally she said, "Klumsee. K-L-U-M-S-E-E. But he prefers to be called Klum for short. Like Heidi Klum."

To this, Amelia seemed to like more. As she gave a nod of approval, the woman remembered something. "Oh! I still have to give you those two presents I have! Go to the living room (we'll put the stuff we bought away later), and you can open them!"

"Aunt Amee..." Claire hesitated, but her aunt was already gone. With an exhausted sigh, Claire did as she was told and her aunt was back down in no time- crooked in one arm was a robe of sorts, colored a minty green color with small blue flowers printed throughout, and in her hand was a small box- one that you would keep newly bought jewelry in.

When Amelia was over to the sofa, she set the little jewelry box down and held the robe with both arms. Seeing it closer now, Claire noticed that it wasn't a normal robe- the fabric was too thin.

"This was Rashel's favorite cardigan." Amelia said, mostly to herself than to Claire. She turned toward the girl regardless, offering the duster cardigan to her with a, "Go ahead- try it on."

"Aunt Amee, I can't." Claire said, lightly shaking her head.

"Please?" her aunt replied with a sad little face. Feeling awkward now, Claire didn't see what else she could do, so she stood up and took the cardigan from her aunt. Amelia took this as an opportunity to sit down now as Claire put it duster cardigan on. After a few small adjustments, the teen turned back to her aunt so she could get a better look of her with it on.

"What do you think?" Claire rather carelessly asked. But when Claire looked up, she realized that Amelia was on the verge of tears.

"Aunt Amee?"

"You… you look so much like, like _her_."

Claire stood frozen where she was. She didn't have anything to say, but the way her aunt had said it…

Amelia recovered not long after, shaking her head a little.

"I also found this." Amelia said, giving the jewelry box to Claire. "It reminded me of you so I thought you'd like it."

"Thank you." Claire thanked, taking the box and sitting next to her aunt. The teenager removed the top of the box and stared at the contents inside. There within the box was a gold plated sun-shaped amulet; in the center of the amulet was a large jewel, colored a lime green, that shimmered slightly whenever she moved it. Something about the amulet seemed familiar, but she couldn't place from where.

"I… used to have a necklace just like this." Claire told her aunt. "But I lost it ages ago. I think..."

Amelia smiled. "Then I guess it was a match meant to be!" she exclaimed. "Now, come one," Amelia then said, "We've got stuff to put away in your new room!"

As Amelia got off the couch and went back over the the mall bags, Claire remained where she was, enamored by the amulet.

"Yeah..." she absently said to herself, "A match meant to be..."


	8. Chapter 8

**_I'm going to admit this now, but this chapter was going to be longer. But with what I have planned, I need to take time with it without losing readers to a wall of text (this chapter as is is almost 1.5K without this A/N and I'm afraid of going higher). While this chapter is being cut a bit shorter than I intending, I do hope to have some more time with just Oopsy's perspective while Claire is in Care-a-lot. It's going to be a super frustrating chapter. Mostly for Grumpy. xD_**

 ** _ ** _Rest assured though, this chapter contains quite a bit of foreshadowing. Maybe about two or three instances- but I'm not telling what they are. Not yet, anyway._**_**

* * *

Matthew hadn't returned home by dinner time, so Amelia set to make dinner instead. Claire didn't mind, she wanted to spend time looking over the amulet in the privacy of her room. The amulet felt a little heavy in her hands, but she didn't really notice it when she had tied it around her neck. The amulet's chain was also long enough that it allowed the amulet to sit just a little below her (still rather small) bust.

Sitting on her bed, Claire looked over the amulet with curiosity. It was so familiar, and yet she couldn't figure out why.

"This… did something..." the teen said out loud in thought, "Didn't it?"

The teen turned to amulet over in her hand as she looked over it. Nothing. The back was completely smooth- no mention of who could have made it or where it had come from. Of course, that was assuming that this was the something she thought it was, an object from her distant past that likely didn't need to be remembered.

"I wish I knew what you did..." she mumbled to herself. "Not that it could make my life easier or anything..."

Still trying to remember blocked memories, Claire turned the amulet back over to realize that the jewel was letting off a soft glow. Claire gave a tilt of her head as she looked closer at the jewel- for a moment she saw a flicker of something, like a face, shine back at her. The teen swiped her thumb against the jewel in a trance; it seemed to have some effect as the jewel glowed a bit brighter with each swipe. It didn't take long before Claire suddenly retracted from the amulet as a rainbow shot out from the jewel, flitting around her room before forming an archway in front of her closet door. The newly created rainbow archway started to shimmer as a scene of another world slowly appeared through the archway.

Claire gave the rainbow archway a wary glance as she walked over to it. When she was close enough, she slowly lifted her arm and made it go through the arch. Nothing happened to her arm -thank goodness- but it only made things weirder. Claire pulled her arm back and looked at it as if she was trying to find some fault with it now; she looked back at the archway with an even weirder expression.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Claire found herself saying before going through the archway.

. . .

"I have had ENOUGH of this bear!" Grumpy hollered as he threw down his wrench. Everyone in the vacancy flinched, but it was Tenderheart who tried to reason;

"But Grumpy, please have exercise some patience..."

"Patience?" Grumpy snorted. He gave Oopsy a rather accusatory finger point before declaring, "I had patience when _he_ showed up. I had patience when you said he'd be a help. Heck, I even had patience when he broke the whirly-gig not once, not twice, but TEN times! But now? I'm done! I am so completely done with this bear that if I ever see him again in this lifetime or the next, I'll start a mutiny!"

"Grumpy," Tenderheart then tried to reason, "Oopsy is doing his best- please try to be a bit nicer for his sake?"

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing that my name isn't Nice Bear, now is it?"

At this point, Tenderheart decided to throw in the towel. True Heart had been rubbing her temples in annoyance for the past two minutes, and even Noble Heart looked ready to give up. Oopsy was done all around, this conversation proving to be the last straw and with an angered groan, he left them.

"Oopsy, wait." True Heart called after him before going after him any way. At this Tenderheart turned to Noble Heart.

"I promised Wonder that I'd greet her when she finished the Brave Heart's crew." he said to the Cousin. "Do you things will…?"

"Something will happen today, and whether it's anger or success still up in the air." the horse replied without much emotion to his voice. "Go get Wonderheart, we'll be fine here."

Tenderheart gave Noble Heart a small nod before taking his leave. Just before the older Care Bear was just out of earshot of the others, he could overhear Grumpy say to Noble Heart:

"Look, Noble Heart, I've got mad respect for you and True. But that bear? Are we even sure he _IS_ a Care Bear?"

It were these last words that Tenderheart thought over as he walked along. He was so lost in thought that he didn't see or hear when Wonderheart called out to him, or that she had a friend with her.

"Uncle Tenderheart!" Wonderheart happily exclaimed, hugging her uncle around the middle. This snapped him out of his thoughts to look down and smile at her.

"Well hello there little cub? Did you have a fun time today helping with collecting caring hearts?"

"Always!" Wonderheart cheerfully exclaimed. "And even better, when I got back, I met Claire!"

"Claire?" Tenderheart repeated in confusion before noticing the 16 year old. It took him all of a minute and when he realized who she was, he froze. So bewildered, Tenderheart could only say one thing,

"It's your birthday today, isn't it Claire?"

Looking down at her toes, Claire gave a small, "Yeah, it is."

"It's your birthday?!" Wonderheart exclaimed in wonder. At Claire's sheepish nod, the cub turned to Tenderheart and said, "Oh Uncle Tenderheart, we _have_ to make Claire a cake!"

"You… don't have to do that." the teen nervously chuckled.

"Oh, nonsense!" Wonderheart insisted, taking Claire by the hand. "We're going to make you the best cake in all of Care-a-lot, and then we'll invite everyone over to eat it! Oh! Maybe Share can help us make the cake too! Uncle Tenderheart, do you think Share is busy at the moment?"

Tenderheart gave his niece a light laughter before suggesting, "Wonder, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course Uncle Tenderheart!"

"Could you go to Grumpy's Care-a-van and tell the purple horse there (his name is Noble Heart) that the sunflower has bloomed?"

"That's a silly thing to say!" Wonderheart giggled, but she agreed regardless. "I can do that Uncle Tenderheart! I'll be back in two shakes of a beaver's tail!"

And with that, the younger Care Bear was gone. Admittedly, Claire let out a sigh of relief; Wonderheart was cute and all, but she was far too excitable for Claire's taste. Tenderheart could feel a part of this and gave Claire a gentle smile.

"It's been a while since we've met Claire, have you been well?"

The teen's spine stiffened a little as she looked down at him. "This… isn't a dream… Is it?"

"No." he affirmed. "Let's sit by the brook and we can talk more, alright?"

Warily, Claire gave a nod and followed the Care Bear. From there, she was able to relax a bit more and in no time was able to tell him about her amulet.

"Hmm… the calibration in your Care and Share amulet must be off." Tenderheart noted when she had finished her story.

"What makes you say that?"

Tenderheart cast Claire a rather confused glance. "You don't remember why I gave this to you?"

"No, not really." the teen admitted with a shake of her head. "Should I?"

"I suppose not." Tenderheart carefully admitted. "A lot of was going on for you at the time; come to think of it, I would be more surprised if you _could_ accurately remember why I gave you the amulet."

"But other than that, anything else that's happened since we last met?" the Care Bear went on. "I still you still have your freckles, and are you dying your hair? Auburn is a good look on you- I would suggest a bit of a dip-dye toward the ends, maybe? A light brown, I think, would bring our your eyes."

"We moved out of the apartment and with Aunt Amee." Claire told him, her face flushing slightly at his suggestions. "But I don't like it that much."

"You should be excited." Tenderheart gently smiled. "A new neighborhood, a new set of scenery at least."

"I guess..." Claire agreed, looking away from him. The older Care Bear looked over the girl- something else was wrong with her and it was just a hunch…

"Claire, is there another reason why you left the apartment?" he quietly asked. Claire refused to look at him for the longest time. Eventually, she finally said in a small voice,

"Promise not to tell anyone else?"

"I'm no Secret Bear, but I can try." Tenderheart offered with a kind smile.

Claire gave him a small side glance to test to see if he was lying to her, and in finding that he was being genuine, the girl took in a deep breath and told Tenderheart the truth.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, long time no see! Sorry for such a long wait, a lot of odd circumstances (from writer's block to computer malfunctions) have stopped me from finishing this chapter before today. But here it is! I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up though, so please take and enjoy this one in the mean time!**

* * *

Wonderheart gleefully made her way to the place her uncle had indicated. Humming a pleasant little tune about being a Care Bear, she only stopped short in surprise when she did indeed see a purple Care Bear Cousin horse. Despite being very good friends with the Care Cloud crew, the mere variety of the Care Bear Cousins was still very much a shock for the cub.

In fact, she had been so mystified by the Cousin that she wasn't paying much attention to the calamity of some green Care Bear harassing Grumpy with another Care Bear watching. The Cousin seemed to recognize that Wonderheart had been staring and looked over in her direction. When he saw her, he smiled. Knowing that she had been seen, Wonderheart shied her way a bit closer to him.

"Well hello there little cub," he greeted with a voice as bright as his smile. "I assume you're Wonderheart?"

Wonderheart broke out of her shyness to gave him a wide smile and a nod. "Yep!" she affirmed just as brightly. "Are you Noble Heart?"

"Indeed I am." came the agreement. "And to what do I honor of meeting you, Miss Wonderheart?"

Giving a small giggle at Noble Heart's formality, the cub said, "Uncle Tenderheart gave me a message to tell you."

"Oh?" mused the Cousin. "And what would that be?"

"It was such a silly phrase," Wonderheart rambled for a moment, "He said that the sunflower has bloomed, or something. Isn't that just the silliest phrase you've ever heard?"

Despite Wonderheart's apparent amusement with the phrase, Noble Heart's blood turned to ice. The Cousin unconsciously turned to look at Oopsy (who was being berated by Grumpy, and as a result having them both chastised by True Heart) before looking back at Wonderheart, giving a faint smile.

"Wonderheart, would you like to tell Uncle Tenderheart another message?"

"I guess I could." the young Care Bear agreed with a grin. This allowed Noble Heart to give a near genuine one in return.

"I want you to tell Tenderheart that the shadows remain dark."

"That's even funnier than what Uncle Tenderheart said! Of course shadows are dark, goodness." Wonderheart giggled. But then she had an idea. "Oh! Do you two have a secret code? Is that why you want me to say silly phrases to you?"

"Something like that." Noble Heart agreed. "But Tenderheart has to know right away, do you understand Wonderheart?"

"Of course!" the cub agreed before turning on her heel and heading back in the direction she came from. Watching her leave, Noble Heart gave a fond smile before turning back to the situation at hand.

"I can't keep doing this True!" Grumpy demanded, throwing his hammer to the ground. "This bear is absolutely hopeless!"

"Please Grumpy," True Heart tried to plead.

"No!" Grumpy insisted. "I! Am! _Done_!"

"Hey everyone!" a voice from near them greeted. "What's got Grumpster so bent out of shape?"

The three Care Bears and Cousin turned to the source of the voice and found Funshine.

"Funshine!" Grumpy exclaimed, sounding rather angry but actually very, very relieved. "Tell me that there's something I need to do right now!"

Funshine gave Grumpy Bear a rather confused look before putting on a more thoughtful expression. "Well," the yellow bear started, "I happened to pass Wonderheart on the way here, and she gave a very convincing argument that I could help with something she and Tenderheart were doing for a kid in Care-a-lot today. You know, I think you'd be great for it! Come on Grumps, we've got a kid to cheer up!"

"Oh thank goodness." Grumpy sighed. Without any regard to Oopsy, True, or Noble Heart, Grumpy said to Funshine, "Wait for me!" and was gone without another word.

"Whelp, that was fun!" Oopsy declared with a clap of his hands. "Let's go home and pretend this never happened, alright?"

"Not so fast," Noble Heart said to him, "There are still other Bears we can visit. Don't throw in the towel just yet."

Oopsy let out a frustrated groan. "I thought I burned it..." he grumbled under his breath before the three started to go elsewhere.

. . .

"Share, that has got to be the most sweetest cake you've made yet!" Cheer Bear happily told her friend.

"You really think so?" the purple bear asked with a giggle. The two took a step back to admire the culinary confection- it was a five layer tiered cake with white frosting, decorated with pale yellow trim and even fondant sunflowers. It was going to be a surprise, but the cake itself held all sorts of different flavors; the bottom row was vanilla, the next row was chocolate, after that was strawberry, then bumbleberry, and the top tier (reserved only for the birthday girl) was double chocolate fudge with lava chocolate in the middle.

"Hello there ladies!" a voice not far from there called out. Curious, the two Care Bears turned around and saw someone they were certainly not expecting.

"True Heart!" Cheer and Share exclaimed at the same time, rushing over to said bear to give tight, well missed hugs.

"Where have you been?" Cheer asked as the three of them pulled out of their embrace. "It seems like we haven't seen you in forever!"

"It's a long story," True tenderly told them. "Suffice to say, Noble Heart and I were given the care mission of a lifetime."

Confused for a moment, that was when Cheer and Share noticed the purple horse, along with another Care Bear that stood a bit away from behind them.

"Oh!" both girls replied, giving each other a nod of understanding.

"Would you like to help us bring this cake to Tenderheart's house?" Share then politely inquired. "There's a very special kid in Care-a-lot today!"

"Of course we wo-" True Heart started before being cut of by Noble Heart.

"We would love to," the purple horse then told the other two, "But we have plans to meet with some old friends before we go back home. Maybe next time?"

Hearing this, everyone gave Noble Heart a rather confused look. But the proud horse stood by his word as he politely started to escort True Heart and Oopsy away from Cheer and Share. True Heart was not going to let the moment slide by so easily, however.

"That was rude." she reminded him once they were out of earshot. Noble Heart stiffened a bit as he tried to find some sort of explanation.

"True, you saw the cake, right?"

"Of course I did."

"Did you notice what it was decorated with?"

"Flowers? I don't see how..."

"What _kind_ of flowers were they, True?"

"They were sun-" she started but then stopped mid sentence. Her moment of questioning went short, however, as a bright flash of something caused the three of them to turn around. Sure enough, another bright flash of light came from the sky, but it was more than apparent that there was more to the flash- there was a small spray of glitter (or something like it) that slowly dissipated into nothing. A few moments later another display flashed in the sky, and then another.

"What is that?" True Heart wondered.

"Looks like fireworks." Noble Heart noted. "Special noiseless ones too- it must be for a child that's afraid of sudden noises."

Bitter about the day, Oopsy stayed out of his sulk enough to look where True and Noble Heart were looking. Sure enough, fireworks lit up the darkening sky in shades of yellow, blue, and green. Quite a few were arranged to look something like sunflowers, and after awhile, a large display of fireworks went off in a finale before they spelled out 'Happy Birthday!' and faded away into the sky. Oopsy gave an annoyed huff before returning to his thoughts. Who would make fireworks look like sunflowers anyway?

That was when he remembered something- today was Claire's birthday. He'd have to send her a message when he got home. Maybe a greeting card with a sunflower or something. Hopefully nothing that played a loud sound, she once told him that sudden noises made her uncomfortable. The Fourth of July was a day when she did nothing but sit around the house with earplugs on because…

Sweet bumbleberry jam, how did he not connect the dots earlier?!

"Claire!" Oopsy suddenly exclaimed, rushing to the direction the fireworks came from.

"Oopsy?" Noble Heart questioned before it was too late. Now in a panic, he and True looked at each other and started to run after Oopsy shouting, "Oopsy, come back!"


End file.
